MHS Trucks&Bus, the importer of the MAN trucks in Romania, controlled by businessman Michael Schmidt, delivered one of the biggest Euro 5 truck fleets this year, 100 units, to Turkey’s Ekol Logistics, one of the largest shipping and logistics companies in Europe.
At an average price of EUR70,000 per truck, the deal is worth EUR7 million.
“The fleet delivered to Ekol is the largest this year. Last year’s largest delivery was a shipment of 46 dump trucks to Apele Romane (Romanian Waters – the institution in charge of Romania’s water resource management),” said Alexandru Negru, marketing manager of MHS Truck&Bus.
MHS Truck&Bus expects to sell 700 new trucks this year, 22% more than last year. MAN delivered 59 trucks in Romania in the first quarter, down 60% on the same time last year, according to the data of the Association of Automotive Manufacturers and Importers (APIA).
“Most new trucks are bought to refresh fleets now not expand them, and price is a key factor. Other than 700 new trucks we expect to deliver, we also plan to sell 400 used trucks this year,” MHS Truck&Bus marketing manager said.
The delivery of the 100 MAN truck fleet comes less than a week after a carrier based in Sebes, Alba County (central Romania), Oprean, announced it would buy 30 Euro 6 Mercedes-Benz trucks worth EUR3 million.
Under the circumstances, truck vendors expect the market to grow less than 10%, according to EVW Holding, the importer of DAF, and by as much as 30%, according to Volvo Romania, which imports Volvo Trucks.
Sales of trucks of over 18 tons fell almost 30% to 440 units in the first quarter, according to APIA data.
Adrian Gorcea, sales and marketing manager with EVW Holding, which imports DAF Trucks for Romania and the Republic of Moldova, says this year’s sales will be driven by fleet refreshes instead of expansion, as well by the change of pollution regulations as of 2014.
Only Euro 6 compliant trucks will be allowed to register in Europe as of January 1, 2014, which are almost 20% more expensive that the current Euro 5 compliant vehicles.
Sales of over 18-ton trucks stood at 2,700 in Romania in 2012, 17% fewer than in 2011, according to APIA.
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)